Channel Surfing: Theron and Fincher Team Up for HBO's "Mind Hunter," Jennifer Lopez Finds "Mother," ABC Axes "Ugly Betty," and More

Welcome to your (delayed) Thursday morning television briefing.

Charlize Theron (The Road) has teamed up with auteur David Fincher (Zodiac) to develop HBO drama series, Mind Hunter, based on John Douglas and Mark Olshaker's nonfiction book "Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit," about the profiling of serial killers and rapists. Scott Buck (Dexter) will write the pilot, which will be produced by Theron, Fincher, Erwin and Buck and is set up at Fox21. (Variety)

Jennifer Lopez is set to guest star on CBS' How I Met Your Mother in an episode slated to air in March. Lopez will play Anita Appleby, described as "a no-nonsense author of self-help books that teach women how to train men into relationship machines through the power of denial," who makes it her mission to train Barney. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has officially cancelled Ugly Betty after four seasons. The dramedy, which stars America Ferrera, will wrap up its run this May and producers will have time to arrange to a suitable conclusion for the series, which has seen its ratings drop drastically over the last few seasons. (Televisionary)

Syfy has found its showrunners for the US adaptation of British supernatural drama Being Human: married writers Anna Fricke (The Beautiful Life) and Jeremy Carver (Supernatural) have joined the staff of Being Human as executive producers/showrunners. Series, which has a thirteen-episode commitment from Syfy, is expected to air later this year. (Variety)

E! Online's Jennifer Godwin rounds up the suspects for Season Four of AMC's Mad Men. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Martin Henderson (Bride & Prejudice) has been cast in Shonda Rhimes' ABC pilot Off the Map, where he will play one of three doctors working an a remote medical clinic in the tropics. In other pilot news, Alex Graves (Fringe) will direct and executive produce ABC drama pilot The Whole Truth, from executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere, FOX has ordered a pilot for an untitled workplace comedy from writer Brent Forrester (The Office), who will executive produce with Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and David Nevins. Project, from 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine Television, is set in an IRS district office. (Hollywood Reporter)

And ABC Family has ordered ten episodes apiece of two drama projects: weight loss camp drama Huge, from writers Winnie Holzman (My So-Called Life) and daughter Savannah Dooley and Alloy Entertainment; and mystery drama Pretty Little Liars, about four former friends who reunite when one of their group goes missing, from Warner Horizon, Alloy Entertainment, and executive producers Marlene King, Leslie Morgenstein, and Bob Levy. (Variety)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street) will guest star in an upcoming episode of FOX's Bones, where he will play a creepy custodian in a slasher-themed storyline set at Brennan's high school reunion. (TV Guide Magazine)

The CW has ordered two pilots: Nikita, an update of La Femme Nikita that focuses on a replacement after the original Nikita goes rogue, from writer/executive producer Craig Silverstein, executive producers McG and Peter Johnson, and Warner Bros. Television, and an untitled Wyoming-based family drama from writer/executive producers Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino that will revolve around a family who runs a horse farm in Wyoming. (Variety)

ABC will air a two-hour Bachelor special, The Bachelor: Jason and Molly's Wedding, on March 8th. (Hollywood Reporter)

TBS has ordered a pilot script for animated comedy based on feature film The Adventures of Joe Dirt. Project, which revolves around a "mullet-sporting, muscle-car-loving loser with a heart of gold," hails from Sony Pictures Television, Happy Madison, and writer David Spade, who will executive produce with Fred Wolf, Donick Cary, and Doug Robinson. (via press release)

ITV has announced its hire for its top CEO position: former Royal Mail czar Adam Crozier. "ITV is a strong brand with talented people, facing an imperative for change as the media landscape evolves," said ITV chairman Archie Norman in a statement. "Adam is a very strong leader with a great track record in delivering transformational change. He has worked successfully in talent-driven organizations, with government and regulators, and has a thorough understanding of the media, advertising and branding industries." (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Jennifer Morrison Returns to "House," FOX Rumors Swirl for O'Brien, Possible Curtains for "Crash," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jennifer Morrison will return to FOX medical drama House later this season. While the nature and timing of Cameron's return are unknown, Ausiello quotes an unnamed House insider who said, "You will see Cameron again on House before the end of the season." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Rumors are swirling that Conan O'Brien could be beating a path to FOX to launch a latenight franchise to rival The Tonight Show but it's not exactly a smooth ride. "There are still a slew of obstacles standing in his way at Fox, including those same network affiliates. And several Fox insiders wonder whether it would even be possible to launch a latenight Conan O'Brien franchise anytime soon," writes Variety's Michael Schneider. "Still, once O'Brien manages to settle out of his NBC contract -- and that's the route he and his reps appear to be taking -- it's entirely possible that Fox could carve out a home for him, sources close to the situation believe." But there are some sizable financial consequences to such a move, including giving up revenue from syndicated shows in the 11 pm timeslot, wariness on the part of local affiliates, and the time it would take to get the series going into production and clear it in the markets. (Variety)

[Editor: For a great take on what NBC needs to do post-Conan, head over to The Chicago Tribune to read Maureen Ryan's insightful thoughts here.]

The fate of Starz drama series Crash is said to be up in the air, according to The Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva. "Speculation is mounting that the dark Starz drama won't be renewed for a third season," writes Andreeva. "The pay cable network declined comment Wednesday beyond noting that new president and CEO Chris Albrecht began work just three days ago and is still getting a grasp of the place. It is believed the Crash cancellation likely will be among the first programming decisions made by the former HBO honcho." (Hollywood Reporter)

Rob Zombie (Halloween) will direct an upcoming episode of CBS' CSI: Miami, set to air on March 1st. Move marks the television directorial debut of Zombie and the episode will feature the team heading to Los Angeles to investigate a case that involves "secret tape recordings and evidence tampering." (Hollywood Reporter)

Pilot casting alert! Carla Gallo (Bones) and Jose Zuniga (CSI) have been cast in FOX comedy pilot The Station, from executive producer Ben Stiller and 20th Century Fox Television. (Meanwhile, Jordan Peele, who guest starred in the pilot, has been promoted to regular.) Gallo will play "the smart but loopy director of operatives who oversees the undercover field officers in the Central America outpost and has feelings for Eric" (Justin Bartha) while Zuniga will play "a trained field officer tasked with running the import/export cover office but who is dying to get a position inside the station." (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere, Ben Schwartz (Accidentally on Purpose) has been cast in J.J. Abrams' NBC drama pilot Undercovers opposite Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who play Steven and Samantha, a pair of married spies who are reactivated by the CIA. Schwartz will play a "young CIA agent who is wildly respectful of Steve's career as an agent" on the Warner Bros. Television-produced pilot. (Hollywood Reporter)

Lifetime has announced that Season Four of drama series Army Wives will launch on April 11th. (Variety)

TLC has ordered six episodes of docuseries Addicted, which will follow invention specialist Kristina Wandzilak as she helps people kick their addictions. Series, from Asylum Entertainment, will launch in March. (Variety)

FOX has quietly announced that Gordon Ramsay-led Kitchen Nightmares will debut on Tuesday, January 26th, directly behind American Idol. The scheduling change, reported by Futon Critic's Brian Ford Sullivan, "is part of a two-week stunt to showcase the series - which will still regularly air on Fridays at 9 pm - after American Idol." (Futon Critic)

The corporate restructure at News Corp's Fox Network Group has consolidated entertainment oversight under Peter Rice, who will report to Tony Vinciquerra and will now oversee FX Networks under the new organizational chart. (John Landgraf previously reported to Rich Battista, whose role within the newly reorganized group is unclear.) (Variety)

Style has ordered ten episodes of home-makeover series Tacky House, hosted by Thom Filicia. Series, from Lynchpin Prods., is expected to debut this spring. (Variety)

Former ITV Global Entertainment executive Peter Iacono has been hired by Lionsgate as managing director of international television. Replacing the position vacated by Craig Cegielski, Iacono will report to Kevin Beggs and will be based in Los Angeles. (Variety)

Diane Robina has been hired as EVP of development, acquisitions and programming strategy at TV Guide Network. The former MTV Networks executive will also retain her title of president of FearNet and will report to Ryan O'Hara. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: TNT Close to Deal for "Southland," Bravo Hungry for "Top Chef: Just Desserts," "24," NBC Picks Up Three Series, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

The Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that TNT is very close to a deal with Warner Bros. Television to acquire cancelled NBC cop drama Southland. The deal, which is now said to appear "likely," would save the series--which produced six new installments for a second season at NBC--from cancellation, after NBC axed the series before launching the series' second season. (Hollywood Reporter)

Bravo has ordered a spinoff of its culinary competition series Top Chef entitled Top Chef: Just Desserts, which will air next year and focus on a showdown between pastry chefs in a weekly competition. Top Chef producers Magical Elves are on board for the spinoff, which will begin casting this week. No host or judges have been determined yet for the series, which will air in between cycles of Top Chef and Top Chef Masters. (Variety)

The Wrap's Josef Adalian takes a look at what appear to be the first two promos for Day Eight of FOX's 24, which have been leaked onto the internet. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

NBC has given full-season pickups to comedies Community and Parks and Recreation and drama series Mercy, bumping the episodic total to 22 installments for the trio this season. (Televisionary)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to incoming Grey's Anatomy actress Kim Raver about her upcoming multiple-episode story arc on the ABC medical drama. "She was in Iraq with Owen," Raver told Ausiello about her character, Teddy. "She’s a cardiac surgeon. She’s really good at what she does. There’ll be some interesting stuff between Teddy, Cristina and Owen." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC is developing two new projects, including drama Nola Rising, about the unlikely partnership between a struggling private investigator and a charismatic ex-con who is a spiritual medium as they "help solve the problems of New Orleans citizens, living or dead." Project, from Universal Media Studios and Yellow Brick Road, is written by Medium's Diane Ademu-John and executive produced by Teri Weinberg. The Peacock is also developing hybrid comedy Ordinary People, about a twenty-something African-American married couple who are "fast-tracked professionals with four kids," whose lives are changed when the husband becomes a columnist for Rolling Stone and begins to work out of their house. Project, from Universal Media Studios, is executive produced by Kenya Barris and Scott Stuber. (Hollywood Reporter)

Warner Bros. is in final talks to pick up an untitled animated comedy pitch about a peacock from writers Austin Winsberg and Heath Corson. The studio is keeping the plot firmly under wraps for the project, which will be executive produced by Underground Film & Television's Trevor Engelson and Nicholas Osborne. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that David Costabile (Damages, Flight of the Conchords) has been cast in at least four episodes of Season Three of AMC's Breaking Bad, where he will play Gale, the new assistant of Bryan Cranston's Walt. "Described as an eager student and a brilliant chemist, Gale is the antithesis of Jessie (Aaron Paul) in that he’s more interested in the magic of chemistry than getting rich," writes Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

HBO has renewed drama series In Treatment for a third season. (Televisionary)

FOX has given a script order to an untitled single-camera comedy about a team of twenty-something computer geniuses who crack computer security systems. Project, from Sony Pictures Television and Happy Madison, is written by Adam F. Goldberg (Four Christmases), who will executive produce with Seth Gordon, himself attached to direct should the project be ordered to pilot. (Variety)

TV Land has given cast-contingent pilot orders to two projects. The first, comedy Hot in Cleveland, revolves around three female friends from Los Angeles, each in her forties, who end up in Cleveland but decide to stay "when they realize the locals consider them glamorous." (Editor: Flashbacks to 30 Rock's "Cleveland" episode.) Project, written by Suzanne Martin (Frasier), will be executive produced by Hazy Mills Prods.' Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner. The second, Retired at 35, about a wealthy businessman who leaves Manhattan to settle in his parents' Florida retirement home. Project was written by Chris Case (Reba), who will executive produce with Mindy Schultheis and Michael Hanel. (Variety)

Mad Men's Sam Page has been cast in a recurring role on ABC Family's Greek, where he will play Joel, "a smart and accessible local campaign manager for a congresswoman" who worked on Capitol Hill with the father of Dilshad Vadaria's Rebecca. Page is set to appear in Season Four of Greek. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Fineman Entertainment, the shingle behind FX's upcoming drama series Lights Out, has hired former ABC executive Ray Ricord as VP of development. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Sonya Walger Talks "FlashForward," "Big Love," FOX Scales Back "Past Life," Showtime Gets "Shameless," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams has an interview with FlashForward and Lost star Sonya Walger, in which Walger talks about her time on Lost and teases some details about what is coming up for Olivia on FlashForward. "She's going to be forced quite soon to deal with whether or not you can change the future," said Walger. "She keeps being reminded — evidence keeps being presented all around her — that you can't change it. Every time she thinks she's seen the last of Lloyd and that she's managed to avoid it, he keeps coming back." (TVGuide.com)

Mark your calendars: HBO has set a return date for drama series Big Love, which will launch its fourth season on January 10th. (Variety)

In a twist that surprised no one, FOX has reduced its episode order for Warner Bros. Television-produced drama procedural Past Life to seven installments (including the pilot). The series, which follows an investigative team that solves crimes by using past-life regression, is currently slated to air on Tuesday evenings starting in midseason. (Hollywood Reporter)

But it's not all bad news for Warners as Showtime has given a pilot order to a US adaptation of Paul Abbott's British drama series Shameless, which will star William H. Macy, from Warner Bros. Television and John Well Prods. According to Variety's Cynthia Littleton, the US Shameless will be "set in present-day Chicago among a blue-collar family where an 18-year-old daughter is tasked with keeping her five younger siblings in line" and must contend with her alcoholic father (Macy). Production on the pilot is set to begin in December. (Variety)

ABC has given a thirteen-episode contingent commitment to crime drama The Gates, about a "big-city cop who becomes chief of police in a seemingly sleepy planned community only to discover there's much more to the residents than meets the eye." Project, from writer/executive producers Richard Hatem and Grant Scharbo and executive producer Gina Matthews, will be produced by Fox Television Studios under its international co-production model. The studio will need to secure international financing in order to have the contingency lifted off the project; production is currently set to begin in mid-2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

The CW announced their development slate for the 2010-2011 season, which includes Rob Thomas' Plymouth Rock, about a group of young astronauts who must travel to a distant planet in order to colonize and "save the human race." Other projects in development include Spy School for Girls, from writer/executive producer Mark Schwahn, about female spy trainees; Nashville--from Brad Paisley, Mark Schwahn and writers Matthew Bomer (yes, that Matthew Bomer) and Neal Dodson--about a female singer and a male songwriter looking to make it big in the country music capital; Confessions of a Backup Dancer, about a woman who lands a job as a backup dancer to major music star, from Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television, and writer/executive producer Ilene Chaiken; The March Sisters, an update of "Little Women" about a group of working-class sisters who are looking to strike it rich in Manhattan, from writer/executive producer Jill Gordon; family soap Bitches in Britches, about the equestrian set from Lionsgate and Ish Entertainment; and an untitled drama about the life of socialite Sloan Barnett, who worked in the Early Case Assessment Bureau in Manhattan, from writer Julie Martin and Tribeca Entertainment's Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal. (Variety)

FOX appears to be keeping Dollhouse on the air through November sweeps. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Fox Cable Networks will shut down Fox Reality next year, according to The Wrap's Josef Adalian, with a view to likely launch a new cable venture with an outside party. The cable network will end its operations on March 31st. "With the changing cable landscape, we've made a strategic decision to shift some resources and refocus on emerging channels," said a Fox Cable Networks spokesman. "However, Fox Reality Channel will remain on on our lineup for at least the next several months." (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

FOX has given a pilot presentation to an untitled animated comedy from writer/executive producers Jonah Hill, Andrew Mogel, and Jarrad Paul about a seven-year-old wealthy scion who acts like an adult and is thrown out of his comfort zone when he's forced to attend a public school. Hill will lend his voice to the project, which hails from 20th Century Fox Television and Chernin Entertainment. FOX is also developing a script for dysfunctional family comedy The Bradleys, based on Peter Bagge's graphic novel series, from 20th Century Fox Television and write/executive producers Peter Bagge and Matthew Lawton. (Variety)

Starz has cast Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad), Ivan Sergei (Charmed), Ving Rhames (Surrogates), Rachel Hunter, Robyn Cohen (Starved), James Martinez (Brother to Brother) and Seth Numrich (How to Kill a Mockingbird) in ten-episode ensemble dramedy series Gravity, about a group of suicide survivors who receive treatment together in an outpatient program. Project, formerly known as Failure to Fly, was created by Eric Schaeffer and Jill Franklyn, the former of which will also co-star. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jorja Fox's five-episode story arc on CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has been extended indefinitely. "We will be seeing a lot more of Jorja," executive producer Carol Mendelsohn told Ausiello. "The season is about bringing the [CSI] family back together again, so [this] was just a natural. Jorja has been the glue that has really helped to reform the bond of our team." The exact number of episodes that Fox will appear in this season has yet to be determined but Mendelsohn also said that there are no plans for William Petersen to reprise his role as Grissom, despite Fox's Sara returning to the series. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FOX has ordered the back nine episodes of Season Two of animated comedy series The Cleveland Show, just weeks after launching the first season of the Family Guy spin-off. The order will keep Cleveland on the air through the entirety of the 2010-11 season and brings the episodic order to 44 episodes. (Variety)

Bravo will use a new Kathy Griffin stand-up comedy special, entitled Kathy Griffin: Balls of Steel, as the lead-in for Season Two of reality series Tabatha's Salon Takeover on November 3rd. (The Wrap's TV MoJoe)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: J.J. Abrams Back in Spy Game, Aylesworth Briefed for "Damages," FX Orders "Terriers," "Lights Out" to Series, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

The Wrap's Josef Adalian is reporting that J.J. Abrams is returning to the spy business with a new potential series project with writer/executive producer Josh Reims (Felicity, Dirty Sexy Money) and executive producer Bryan Burk that is the subject of a heated bidding war with several broadcast networks including ABC, NBC, and CBS. The untitled project, from Warner Bros. Television and Bad Robot, follows a husband and wife who work as spies. According to Adalian, the script is described as a "fun romp" in the style of classic television spy adventures. (The Wrap)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Reiko Aylesworth (24, Lost) has been cast in Season Three of FX's legal drama Damages in a recurring role. Details about who Aylesworth--who starred in the original pilot for ABC drama series The Forgotten--will be playing are being kept firmly under wraps. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FX has given series orders to dramas Lights Out and Terriers, ordering thirteen episodes of each series. Fox21's Terriers, which stars Donal Logue as a former cop who launches an unlicensed private eye firm with his best friend (Michael Raymond-James), is set to debut in Summer 2010. It was created and will be executive produced by Ted Griffin and Shawn Ryan. Lights Out, from Fox Television Studios and FX Prods., stars Holt McCalleny as a former boxing champ who tries to support his wife and children. Series, from creator Justin Zackham, executive producer/showrunner Warren Leight, and executive producers Phillip Noyce and Ross Fineman, will launch in late 2010. That series will undergo some casting changes from the pilot episode, which had been tweaked by Leight. (Hollywood Reporter)

Rumors swirled yesterday that Comcast was in talks to acquire part or all of NBC Universal for $35 billion, but Comcast was quick to shoot down a report on The Wrap, saying that it was "inaccurate." (Editor: not untrue but inaccurate. Hmmm.) What is clear, however, is that the two companies are in talks of some kind as the deadline looms in the next few months for former Universal owner Vivendi to decide what to do with its remaining 20 percent ownership stake in the company, said to be in the neighborhood of $4 billion. Stay tuned on this one. (Broadcasting & Cable, Variety)

USA has given a cast-contingent pilot order to legal drama Facing Kate about a divorced lawyer in San Francisco who leaves her job as an attorney to become a mediator. Project, from Universal Cable Prods., is written by Michael Sardo, who will executive produce with Steve Stark and Russ Buchholz. (Hollywood Reporter)

E! Online's Megan Masters speaks with Modern Family star Ty Burrell about what's coming up on the ABC comedy series, including this little doozy: "Jay likes to fly model airplanes, so Phil goes out to fly [them] with him, and Jay gets fed up with Phil yacking on, so that goes sour." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Bravo is developing three new series around some of its most memorable stars, including Real Housewives' Bethenny Frankel, Project Runway's Christian Siriano, and Top Chef's Fabio Viviani. Frankel's as-yet-untitled series, from Shed Media, will follow her as she looks for love and grows her business as a natural foods chef. Siriano's series will follow the flamboyant designer as he opens a shop and promotes his clothing line. Viviani will star in Fabio: A Catered Affair, which will follow him and his business parter Jacopo Falleni as they look to "expand their restaurant and catering business in Los Angeles." The latter two projects hail from Magical Elves. (Variety)

Guest stars aplenty for ABC's Ugly Betty. E! Online's Megan Masters is reporting that Christie Brinkley will join the cast of the dramedy this season as rival fashion editrix Penelope Graybridge while Shakira will guest star as herself in a November episode of Ugly Betty that finds the Mode staffers overseeing a photo shoot in the Bahamas. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

ABC Family has given pilot orders to two comedies. The first, an untitled multi-camera comedy starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence, will see the duo play a "a political dynasty wild child-turned-politician who takes in her teenage niece and pre-adolescent nephew when her sister goes to prison and her brother-in-law flees. She turns for help to Jack (Lawrence), who, desperate for a job, moves in and becomes the family's "manny.'" (Whew.) That project is from writers Bob Young and David Kendall, who will executive produce with Melissa Joan Hart, Paula Hart, and Joey Lawrence. The second greenlight went to an untitled single-camera comedy from writer/executive producer Michael Jacobs about a father who gets laid off from his architecture firm who "begins to mentor his underdog middle daughter, while his veterinarian wife shares a closer bond with their Type A older daughter." (Hollywood Reporter)

CBS Studios International has closed deals to bring several of its new series to the UK, with rights deals in place for NCIS: Los Angeles at Sky1 and The Good Wife and Accidentally on Purpose at Channel 4. Sky1 will launch NCIS: Los Angeles on October 21st while The Good Wife will bow on on More4 and Accidentally on Purpose on E4. (Broadcast, Variety)

R.J. Cutler's reality single Actual Reality has signed a co-production deal with Evolution Media under which Evolution will co-produce the nonscripted projects that the company has at MTV, Bravo, TruTV, and Sony Pictures Television and will have a first-look option at any new projects that Actual Reality develops. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Breaking: Showtime and BBC Pact on Matt LeBlanc Comedy Series "Episodes"

Penance for Joey perhaps?

Showtime and BBC Two have joined together to co-produce new comedy series Episodes, set to star Matt LeBlanc (Friends).

The single-camera comedy series, which received a six-episode commitment from Showtime and BBC Two, revolves around a British couple whose smash-hit British skein is adapted into a "dumbed-down" US sitcom starring Matt LeBlanc (who will play himself).

Project, which is slated to air next year on Showtime, is created by David Crane (Friends) and Jeffrey Klarik (The Class) and will be executive produced by Crane, Klarik, and Hat Trick's Jimmy Mulville. Production is slated to begin this autumn in London and Los Angeles.

"What a thrill to have two giants of the comedy world like Klarik and Crane to satirize what they know best: the making (or un-making) of art," said Showtime president of entertainment Bob Greenblatt in a statement. "We jumped at the chance to get involved with this cock-eyed look at network television told through the eyes of unsuspecting British producers who don't know what hit them when they enter the lion's den of Hollywood. And Matt LeBlanc -- wryly sending up his own image -- is icing on the cake. This show complements our eclectic and critically-acclaimed line-up of half-hour comedies beautifully."

The full press release from Showtime, announcing the series order, can be found below.

MATT LEBLANC MAKES FRIENDS OF SHOWTIME & BBC IN SITCOM SATIRE

Six "Episodes" of Comedy-Within-a-Comedy to Premiere in 2010

LOS ANGELES, CA – (September 30, 2009) – "Friends" star Matt LeBlanc and creators David Crane ("Friends," "The Class") and Jeffrey Klarik ("The Class," "Mad About You") have teamed up on a fresh new send-up of the television business entitled EPISODES, a single-camera comedy series about a British couple whose hit UK show is turned into a dumbed-down American sit-com starring LeBlanc (as himself), it was announced today by SHOWTIME President of Entertainment Robert Greenblatt.

Crane and Klarik created the series and Jimmy Mulville will also serve as executive producer through his successful Hat Trick production company ("Whose Line Is It Anyway?," "The Kumars at No. 42", "Worst Week"). EPISODES, a co-production of Showtime and the BBC, will begin shooting the six episodes in London and Hollywood this winter for a 2010 debut on SHOWTIME and BBC Two.

"What a thrill to have two giants of the comedy world like Klarik and Crane to satirize what they know best: the making (or un-making) of art," says Greenblatt. "We jumped at the chance to get involved with this cock-eyed look at network television told through the eyes of unsuspecting British producers who don't know what hit them when they enter the lion's den of Hollywood. And Matt LeBlanc -- wryly sending up his own image -- is icing on the cake. This show complements our eclectic and critically-acclaimed line-up of half-hour comedies beautifully."

"Jeffrey and David have a great idea -- I love it," said Matt LeBlanc. "I am really excited to be working with Showtime and the BBC. And I am so glad I got the part, seeing someone else play Matt LeBlanc would have been devastating."

When a successful British husband-and-wife comedy team are lured by Hollywood to produce a new version of their hit series for a stateside audience, they're initially thrilled at the prospects. But they soon realize what the American execs have in store for their precious show – including replacing the erudite British lead with the quintessential comedy star, Matt LeBlanc – and begin to sink deeper into the quicksand that is the TV business. Before long it's clear that not just the couple's show is at stake, but perhaps even their marriage.

Television veterans Klarik and Crane will draw upon their storied experiences in the network wars and behind-the-scenes "too many cooks" tinkering to bring to life a vivid collection of characters trying to hold onto their sanity in an insane world. Klarik and Crane said: "To work with either Showtime or the BBC on this project would have been terrific. To have both involved is more than we could hope for. We feel like we have found the two perfect homes for this show."

"It is very exciting to be making this wonderful production for Showtime and the BBC," added producer Mulville. "Both networks have an outstanding portfolio of exciting and innovative comedies, and it is an honor to be included amongst them. The scripts are brilliantly funny, and with Matt LeBlanc playing a hilarious version of himself, EPISODES promises to be one of the treats of 2010."

Channel Surfing: CBS Mulling "Criminal Minds" Spin-off, John Simm Talks "Doctor Who" Send-Off for Tennant, Kevin Zegers Hears "Gossip" Call, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

CBS is said to be developing a potential spin-off from its crime drama series Criminal Minds that will be created by showrunner/executive producer Ed Bernero and executive producer Chris Mundy, the latter of which will write the script for the potential spin-off which will air as an episode of Criminal Minds later this season. No concrete details are available but the series is thought to revolve around a new team of FBI agents, rather than focusing on any of the existing Criminal Minds characters. (Hollywood Reporter)

John Simm (Life on Mars), who returns to Doctor Who to reprise his role as The Master this winter, has said that David Tennant's swan song on the British sci-fi series is a "brilliant send-off" for Tennant and the Tenth Doctor. "It'll be a brilliant send-off for Mr Tennant," said Simm. "Last time I did it it was such fun to do. It was wonderful to be asked back and to be in the very, very last one. To go head-to-head with him was a really honour. It was lovely to be asked. It was a great, great experience. We had such fun doing it. Hopefully it'll come across." (BBC News)

Kevin Zegers (The Jane Austen Book Club) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on the CW's Gossip Girl as the potential love interest for Taylor Momsen's Jenny. Zegers will play Damien, "an international bad boy who somehow gets tied up with the likes of little Jenny Humphrey—-who is, in fact, the new Queen Bee." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Diane Ruggiero (Veronica Mars) will write the pilot script for an untitled FOX supernatural dramedy, said to be in the style of Shaun of the Dead, about "a group of dysfunctional siblings who are forced to live together in the family's haunted house after their father dies." Project, from executive producers Peter Chernin, Katherine Pope, and Ruggiero and studio 20th Century Fox Television, has received a script order from the network. (Variety)

TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams talks to Pushing Daisies' Kristin Chenoweth who guest stars on tonight's episode of FOX's Glee as April Rhodes, a former classmate of Will's who has a certain thing for younger men. "This part is like nothing I've had the chance to do on TV," said Chenoweth of April. "She's very happy when drinking to ease her pain. I also sing in three very different styles, which is always fun and challenging." (TVGuide.com)

FOX has given a pilot presentation order to an untitled animated project from Robot Chicken creators Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, and Tom Root that will revolve around various characters at home and at high school and will feature traditional, rather than stop-motion, animation. Project hails from 20th Century Fox Television. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan is reporting that the two-hour pilot for Syfy's Caprica, which launches in January, is hitting the film festival circuit, with airings planned for the San Diego Film Festival as well as the Woodstock Film Festival and the Austin Film Festival in October. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

TLC will relaunch its brand-defining reality series Jon & Kate Plus Eight as just... Kate Plus Eight. The newly retitled series will be relaunched on November 2nd and will focus on Kate Gosselin as the single mother of eight children. But don't count Jon Gosselin out just yet; he's set to continue to make appearances on the series, albeit "on a less regular basis." The cabler is also said to be developing a new series for Kate Gosselin for 2010. (Variety)

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Drop Dead Diva) have received script commitments for two projects at FOX and NBC. The FOX project, a legal drama entitled Laney Sparrow, will be written by Dana Calvo (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) and hail from 20th Century Fox Television. The NBC project, dramedy Inside Mary Baxter, is set in a women's prison; that script will be written by Maria Maggenti (Without a Trace), who will executive produce with Zadan and Meron. (Hollywood Reporter)

Billie Piper (Doctor Who), Theo James (Untitled Woody Allen Film), Andrew Lee Potts (Primeval), Sue Johnston (Waking the Dead), and Alun Armstrong (New Tricks) have been cast in BBC One drama Kay Mellor's A Passionate Woman, based on Mellor's stageplay about a young mother who calls in love with a Polish neighbor and its dangerous consequences over a thirty-year period. Project, from Rollem Productions, will air next year. (BBC)

Warner Bros. Television has signed a two-year overall deal with Cold Case executive producer Greg Plageman, under which he will continue to oversee the CBS drama series with Jennifer Johnson and develop new projects for the studio. (Hollywood Reporter)

UK viewers will get a chance to watch Warner Bros. Television's new sci-fi series V (which is airing Stateside on ABC), following a deal between the studio and NBC Universal Global Networks that will see the Scott Peters-executive produced series air on the UK's Sci Fi, as well as the midseason drama series Human Target. (Broadcast)

History Channel has ordered several new reality series, including Extreme Trucking, a spin-off of its Ice Road Truckers, American Pickers, Madhouse, and Sliced. (Hollywood Reporter)

Camryn Manheim (The Practice) has been cast in Lifetime telepic Pregnancy Pact, opposite Thora Birch and Nancy Travis. She'll play a local nurse who alerts the school to the rising rate of teen pregnancies. Telepic is slated to air in early 2010. (Variety)

Jason Priestley will star in Canadian pay TV comedy Meet Phil Fitz, about a "morally bankrupt" used car salesman who "walks a fine line of acceptable behavior on the lot." Project, from writer/executive producer Sheri Elwood (Defying Gravity). E1 Entertainment, Amaze Film and Television, and Big Motion Pictures, will air on Movie Central and the Movie Network in 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Primeval" Rescued from Extinction, Sonnenfeld Suits Up for Super-powered Comedy, Stephen King Finds "Haven," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Sci-fi drama series Primeval has been saved from extinction thanks to an unprecedented international co-production deal between Impossible Pictures Limited (IPL), ProSieben, BBC Worldwide (BBCW), ITV, and UKTV. Under the terms of the deal, thirteen new installments of Primeval will be produced for 2011 (the thirteen episodes will comprise two seasons). BBC America will step in to take on a full co-production credit and UKTV will become a first-time investor. Adrian Hodges will again oversee the creative direction of the series, which will feature the return of stars including Hannah Spearritt, Andrew Lee Potts, and Jason Flemyng. "Primeval is one of BBC AMERICA's all time top ten shows and we're thrilled to be co-producing the new season," said BBC America SVP of Programming Richard de Croce. "It’s an innovative deal securing the future of an innovative show - and we can’t wait to bring it back to U.S. fans." (via press release)

Barry Sonnenfeld (Pushing Daisies) is attached to executive produce and direct an untitled multi-camera ABC comedy series about an overworked mother who finds a special suit that grants her super powers. Project, from ABC Studios, will be written by Laura House and executive produced by Sonnenfeld and Stu Bloomberg. (Variety)

Stephen King has signed a deal with independent studio E1 Entertainment to adapt his 2005 novella "The Colorado Kid" into a one-hour drama series entitled Haven, which will revolve around a small town in Maine "where cursed folk live normal lives in exile." But then those curses rear their ugly heads, FBI Agent Audrey Parker is sent in to keep the supernatural forces at bay. Sam Ernest and Jim Dunn will write the pilot script and Scott Shepherd (The Dead Zone) has signed on as showrunner and will executive produce with Lloyd Segan Shawn Piller, John Morayniss, and Noreen Halpern. E1 has already committed to producing 13 episodes of the series, which was previously in development at ABC during the 2008-09 season, and is said to be in talks with several foreign broadcasters about co-production deals. (Variety)

CBS has given a script commitment plus penalty to an untitled project from executive producers Craig Wright (Dirty Sexy Money), Mark Burnett, and Roma Downey. Project, from Sony Pictures Television, follows a lawyer who gets a second chance at life by the ghost of his ex-wife after a near-fatal accident. Wright will write the pilot script for the project, which was the subject of a bidding war. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has ordered eight one-hour episodes of reality competition series Perfect 10, in which contestants will have to compete ten seemingly innocuous tasks in 60 seconds. Project, from Universal Media Studios, will be executive produced by Craig Plestis and Tim Puntillo. The network hopes that people will play along at home and NBC will post demonstrations of 50 of the series' games on a web site before the series' launch, which is thought to be in midseason. (Hollywood Reporter)

Omar Miller (Transformers) has joined the cast of CBS' CSI: Miami as a series regular. He'll play Walter Simmons, described in press materials as a "Louisiana native and art theft specialist who transfers over from the night shift to join Horatio's team." Miller's first appearance is slated for the Monday, October 5th episode. (via press release)

Syfy has ordered six episodes of supernatural reality series Ghost Hunters Academy (formerly known as Ghost Hunters: College Edition), which the cabler will launch on Wednesday, November 11th at 10 pm ET/PT. (Futon Critic)

TLC has ordered eight one-hour episodes of docusoap BBQ Pit Masters, which will dissect the "cutthroat world of competing grillers." Series, from Original Media, is slated to launch December 2nd. (Variety)

Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Chris Carmack (Drop Dead Diva), and Zoe McLellan (Dirty Sexy Money) will star in Lifetime Movie Network telepic Deadly Honeymoon, based on the real-life disappearance of groom George Allen Smith. Glau and Carmack will play Lindsey and Trevor Forrest, newlyweds who get caught up in a partying and sex-fueled honeymoon after crossing paths with a group of Eastern European passengers on a cruise. Telepic is written by Ron McGee and will be directed by Paul Shapiro. (Hollywood Reporter)

RDF Media Group has named SVP Karrie Wolfe as its "chief emissary" for the shingle's RDF Rights division, where she will oversee the acquisition of US formats and set them up at broadcasters worldwide. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Disney Channel has ordered eight additional installments for Season Three of Wizards of Waverly Place, bringing the total order to 86 episodes. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: ABC to Air "V" in Pod Form, CW Kills "Beautiful Life," Marc Cherry Talks "Desperate" Reveal, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

ABC has confirmed that it has now altered its launch plan for sci-fi drama series V, which is set to premiere November 3rd. The network has decided to air just the first four installments of the Warner Bros. Television-produced series and then place V on hiatus until after the Winter Olympics. The news comes as a surprise as the series, which is written and executive produced by The 4400's Scott Peters, has enjoyed extremely positive buzz from critics and from Comic-Con audiences who screened the pilot episode earlier this summer. However, both Warner Bros. Television and ABC were quick to point out that the episodic order for V hadn't been shortened; series is still set to air 13 installments. (Los Angeles Times/Show Tracker)

The first official cancellation of the fall season is here: The Beautiful Life, we hardly knew ye. The CW has confirmed that it has axed The Beautiful Life after just two episodes, which plunged to just 1 million viewers in its second outing. Series, which was executive produced by Ashton Kutcher, had been filming its seventh episode when the crew received word to shut down on Friday. The series has been pulled from the schedule and its timeslot will be filled by repeats of Melrose Place beginning this Wednesday. (Hollywood Reporter)

SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry about the resolution to last May's wedding cliffhanger, which was revealed in the opening minutes of the series' sixth season premiere, which aired last night on ABC. Cherry says his decision about which woman Mike would marry "plays better for this season's mystery" and gives the jilted woman a hell of a storyline as well. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

A&E has canceled drama series The Cleaner after two seasons. The series, which starred Benjamin Bratt as a professional interventionist, wrapped its second season earlier this month. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan talks with new Lie to Me showrunner Shawn Ryan about what's coming up on the second season of the procedural drama series, which kicks off tonight on FOX. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Crista Flanagan (Mad Men) has been cast in a recurring role on ABC's new comedy series Hank, where she will play Dawn, the wife of David Koechner's Grady. She replaces Melissa McCarthy (Samantha Who?), who dropped out of the series in order to take a role in romantic comedy feature film Life as We Know It. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The CW has ordered eight episodes of an untitled reality series that will follow the life of New York socialite Tinsley Mortimer, whom some may recall appeared on-screen on the CW's Gossip Girl. Project, from executive producer Andrew Glassman, will follow "Mortimer, currently embroiled in a high-profile divorce, as she hits the New York scene." (Variety)

Production has begun on the third and final season of Life on Mars sequel series Ashes to Ashes, which will air on BBC One in early 2010. "Everyone has their own theory about who Gene Hunt is, and why Alex Drake and Sam Tyler ended up in his world," said executive producer Jane Featherstone. "Alex's journey is nearing its end and Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah have planned a fabulous finale. We're now at the point where we can finally reveal some of the answers and we can't wait to hear what the fans think about it all." (BBC)

As if he weren't animated enough already. Gordon Ramsay is the basis for a new stop-motion animated series entitled Gordon Ramsay, At Your Service from Canadian production company Cuppa Coffee, which will be pitched next week at Mipcom in Cannes. Project, which is currently seeking a writer, will focus on the hot-tempered celebrity chef and television personality. (Broadcast)

TBS has canceled comedy series The Bill Engvall Show after three seasons. (C21)

Charlie Cox (Stardust), Donald Sutherland (Dirty Sexy Money), and Gillian Anderson (Bleak House) have been cast opposite William Hurt and Ethan Hawke in TeleMunchen's big-budget Moby Dick telepic. Cox will play Ishmael; Sutherland will play Father Mapple; Anderson will play Elizabeth, the wife of Captain Ahab (Hurt). (Variety)

Annie Potts, Kim Zimmer, Drew Seeley will star in Hallmark Channel telepic Freshman Father, about a Harvard student who finds himself in a shotgun wedding and must juggle school and parenthood. Project, slated to air in 2010, is written by Bill Wells and directed by Michael Scott. (via press release)

BermanBrauun has hired former Fox Television Studios executive Jerry Longarzo as the head of business affairs. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Whedon Talks "Dollhouse" Season Two, J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Lands FOX Comedy, Amaury Nolasco Leaves "Southland," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker has an interview with Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon about Season Two of the FOX drama series, which returns on Friday. Asked about how malleable the future depicted in the unaired thirteen episode "Epitaph One" is, Whedon said, "We talked about whether it was malleable or not, and right now we pretty much take it as gospel. But then we have a lot of different opinions about how it gets there and who does what. We're fascinated by the implications of this future, and a lot of this season has been guided by it without being so beholden to it that people who didn't see it won't understand. We were incited by the idea that the abuse of power is more widespread than just this one house." (Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker)

J.J. Abrams' production shingle Bad Robot has landed a pilot presentation order from FOX for a half-hour comedy series that's being described as a "medical comedy." Details on the project are being kept firmly under wraps, though it's known that Mike Markowitz (Becker) is writing the script and will executive produce the pilot along with Abrams and Bryan Burk. (Variety)

Major casting change for NBC's police drama Southland. Prison Break's Amaury Nolasco has departed the project after filming just three episodes; he played an aggressive new partner for Regina King's Detective Lydia Adams. No reason was given for his departure. Stepping in: Extract's Clifton Collins, who will play a new character named Ray Suarez who "is still being fleshed out." (Hollywood Reporter)

Showtime and DreamWorks Television are said to be developing a scripted series that will revolve around the mounting of a Broadway musical, which would then actually play on the Great White Way after the series airs. The network is said to be in talks with executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron as well as songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Meetings are underway to find a writer for the series, whose format--half-hour or hour--is under discussion. (Variety)

Campbell Scott, Lily Tomlin, Keith Carradine, and Martin Short have joined the cast of FX's Damages for the series' third season. (Televisionary)

Bill Condon (Kinsey) will direct Showtime dark comedy pilot The C Word, which stars Laura Linney as a suburbanite who is diagnosed with cancer. Project, from Sony Pictures Television and Original Film, is written and executive produced by Darlene Hunt and executive produced by Neal H. Moritz and Vivian Cannon. Production on the pilot starts this fall. (via press release)

E! Online's Jennifer Godwin has the scoop on the upcoming season of ABC's Private Practice (including news that Chris Lowell won't be appearing in all 22 episodes) and talks to Kate Walsh about Addison's backstory and what's coming up for the flame-haired doc this season. "There will be more Addison family members coming to the show this year," Walsh told E! Online. "I'm not sure who's going to come over from the East Coast, but I'm sure they're going to be good and WASP-y and awesome. When Grant Show came on last year as my brother, it was fun for me to see Addison in that lower-status position, as someone's daughter or little sister. It's really fun to play because she's such a fierce and agro personality at work, and then to see her smacked down at home is fun." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

NBC is getting back into the international co-production game with the acquisition of Canadian two-hour backdoor pilot The Mountain from Muse Entertainment. Project, written and directed by Doug Barr, will revolve around a woman who moves her family to the mountains, where they move into a cabin she inherited from her uncle, who may or may not be dead. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has details about Heather Locklear's return to Melrose Place, where she will play Ella's boss at the PR firm where she works. He talks to Melrose Place star Katie Cassidy about Amanda Woodward and gets some additional hints at a workplace showdown between the two. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

MTV has announced that its new comedies Disaster Date and Popzilla will launch on Monday back-to-back in the 6 pm ET/PT timeslot. (Variety)

The Wrap's Joe Adalian is reporting that the CW has ordered eight episodes of half-hour docusoap Fly Girls, which will follow five flight attendants from Virgin America as they jet off to such locales as New York, Las Vegas, and South Beach looking for "good times, great parties, adventure and love." Project, from Collins Avenue, will be executive produced by Jeff Collins and Colin Nash and is expected to launch in early 2010. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Shine International has acquired international distribution rights to FX's six-episode animated comedy Archer, which launches in January. (Variety)

Cookie Jar Entertainment has hired former UPN and Regency TV executive Maggie Murphy as SVP of development, where she will focus on developing content aimed at tweens and will report to Tom Mazza. Murphy was most recently president of Kiefer Sutherland's shingle Eastside Entertainment. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Sissy Spacek Finds "Big Love," Saffron Burrows Circles "Criminal Intent," Alan Ball Keeps "Blood" Subplot a Possibility, and Mo

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. I had an amazing time last night at The Killers concert at the Hollywood Bowl but am a wee bit exhausted this morning as a result. That said, onto the headlines.

Oscar winner Sissy Spacek will join the cast of HBO's drama series Big Love next season in a multiple-episode story arc where she will play a "powerful Washington D.C. lobbyist." Spacek's casting comes on the heels of announcements that Bella Thorne will replace Jolean Wejbe on the series next season and that Ben Koldyke will appear as Dale, a "state-appointed trustee and love interest for Alby (Matt Ross)." Big Love launches its fourth season early in 2010. (Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker)

Saffron Burrows (My Own Worst Enemy) is said to be in talks to join the cast of USA's Law & Order: Criminal Intent, where it's thought likely that she would play a new partner for Jeff Goldblum's Detective Zach Nichols. (Hollywood Reporter)

SPOILER! True Blood executive producer Alan Ball has told Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello that he's open to developing a certain subplot in Charlaine Harris' novels in the series, namely that Bill came to Bon Temps to seduce Sookie in order to get her to work for Sophie-Anne. "It’s certainly something that I found really compelling in the books," Ball told Ausiello. "I was like, 'Wow.' But I can’t really tell you what I’m going to do story-wise. So much of the appeal of the show depends on the element of surprise." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Adam Shankman has been made a resident judge on FOX's reality competition series So You Think You Can Dance alongside Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy as of the October 27th episode. (Variety)

Collette Wolfe (Observe and Report) and Smith Cho (Knight Rider) have been cast in NBC's midseason comedy series 100 Questions, where they will replace Elizabeth Ho and Joy Suprano. (Hollywood Reporter)

MTV has ordered twelve half-hour episodes of Greg the Bunny spin-off Warren the Ape, which will follow the depraved puppet as he tries to resurrect his Hollywood career following the cancellation of Greg the Bunny. Series, executive produced by Spencer Chinoy, Sean Baker, Dan Milano, George Plamondon, Betsey Schechter, Kevin Chinoy, and Francesca Silvestri, will launch next year. (Variety)

Lifetime has ordered a plot for culinary competition series Search for the Greatest American Recipe, which will follow chef/television personality Tyler Florence as he travels to seven American regions to find interesting and original recipes; cooks will then compete head-to-head in a cook-off. Pilot, from ITV Studios, will begin shooting this weekend. (Variety)

TruTV has ordered six episodes of reality series All Worked Up, which follows several people as they work jobs that "get them yelled at, spit on and sometimes assaulted," including a process server, a vehicle repossessor, an amusement park head of security, and a housing community code enforcer, among others. Series, from RDF USA, will launch October 19th. (Hollywood Reporter)

DirecTV has acquired three seasons of gritty Australian drama series Underbelly, which tracks the development of the Oz underworld from the 1970s to the present day. Series will air on 101 Network and will launch on February 10th, following the fourth season finale of Friday Night Lights. (Variety)

TLC has ordered twelve episodes of docuseries Flowers Uncut with Jeff Leatham, which will follow the floral designer as he attempts to build an empire and "conquer the New York event design scene." Series, from Original Media, will launch on November 4th. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Helen Hunt Could Replace Maura Tierney, Denis O'Hare Crowned King on "Blood," "Gravity" Still Floating at ABC, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Following the departure of Maura Tierney from the cast of NBC's Parenthood, producers have reportedly approached Helen Hunt about replacing Tierney on the Jason Katims-executive produced drama series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hunt "is said to be considering the offer, which would mark her return to series television and to NBC, where she starred on the comedy Mad About You for seven years before segueing into features." (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Denis O'Hare (Brothers & Sisters) has been cast as a series regular next season on HBO's True Blood, where he will play the Vampire King of Mississippi. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

(For more on Season Three of True Blood, you can read my exclusive one-on-one interview with Alan Ball here.)

Despite rumors to the contrary, the Futon Critic is reporting that ABC has not yet canceled its sci-fi romantic drama Defying Gravity, produced by Fox Television Studios, though it's not clear if or when ABC will air the remaining installments. "Nicole Marostica, the show's publicist for the network, has confirmed the Alphabet hasn't pulled the plug on the show and is still mulling scheduling options going forward," wrote Futon Critic staffers. (Futon Critic)

HBO is developing two historical mini-series, including Ida Tarbell, a biopic focusing on the early 20th century female investigative journalist Ida Tarbell, who exposed the Standard Oil monopoly. Mini will be produced by Harpo Films, with Oprah Winfrey and Kate Forte to executive produce and Mimosa Jones to write the script. The pay cabler is also developing The Black Panthers with Carl Franklin attached to write and direct the project. (Variety)

Eric Balfour (24) has joined the cast of the CW's The Beautiful Life in a multiple-episode story arc, where he will play Eric "a charming rival to Claudia (Elle Macpherson) at a competing modeling agency." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

HBO will make the pilot of its new comedy series Bored to Death available ahead of its September 20th broadcast on a number of platforms, including HBO On Demand, iTunes, Comcast's Fancast.com, and Amazon.com. "We are very pleased with the excitement Bored to Death has generated and to capitalize on that buzz, we are looking forward to giving audiences a chance to preview the series prior to its network debut" Zach Enterlin, VP of advertising and promotion at HBO, told Broadcasting & Cable. "We feel that teaming up with our key online partners and affiliates through HBO On-Demand is a great way for us to allow viewers to discover this hilarious new show." (Broadcasting & Cable)

The Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva investigates whether the multi-camera comedy format is poised to make a comeback next season, with most of the comedy pilots ordered being multi-camera rather than single-camera. (Hollywood Reporter)

TLC has ordered six episodes of reality series Wedded to Perfection, which follow husband and wife wedding planners Jung Lee and Josh Brooks. Series, which originally ran as a special in May, will launch on October 2nd. (Variety)

Former JAG star David James Elliott has been cast in Hallmark Channel telepic Man of the House, about an advertising executive who loses his wife and his job and becomes a full-time parent to his two kids. Telepic, from Larry Levinson Prods., will air in 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

Alchemy TV co-founder Simon Vaughan has started a new shingle, Lookout Point, whose goal is to co-produce and finance international drama both on the series and longform sides, but Vaughan has indicated that the company won't distribute the product. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Fringe" Stars Tease Season Two, Maura Tierney Leaves "Parenthood," ABC Lures "Secret Millionaire," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Fringe stars Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, and John Noble tease some details about the second season of the FOX sci-fi drama, which launches next week, during a video interview on the set of an Entertainment Weekly photo shoot for the magazine's Fall TV Issue (on newsstands today). (Entertainment Weekly)

NBC has announced that Maura Tierney (ER) has left the cast of Parenthood in order to undergo treatment for breast cancer. The series, from executive producer Jason Katims, was originally slated to launch this fall on the Peacock but the network delayed the series until midseason in order to allow Tierney to begin treatment. Unfortunately, that treatment will continue to interfere with the series' production schedule. Tierney and Parenthood have agreed to go their separate ways and Tierney's role, that of harried single mother Sarah Braverman, will now be recast. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

ABC has acquired six episodes of Secret Millionaire, the FOX reality series that wasn't picked up for a second season. Series, from RDF USA, will return to production later this year and will launch on ABC in midseason. (Variety)

CBS is said to be close to reaching a deal with Craig Ferguson and Worldwide Pants that will keep the Scottish host on board The Late Late Show through the 2011-12 season. (Variety)

BBC One has commissioned The Wizard of Oz, the latest in its line of star formats such as How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, I'd Do Anything, and Any Dream Will Do. Project, from Talkback Thames, will search for an actress to play Dorothy and a canine actor to play Toto in an upcoming Andrew Lloyd Webber musical production of Oz in London's West End. Judges have yet to be announced for the series, slated to launch in 2010, but Graham Norton will return as host. (Broadcast)

IFC has ordered six half-hour episodes of reality series Dinner with the Band, in which chef Sam Mason will cook a meal for some of the music industry's top indie bands, who will perform and chat over dinner. Series, which is set to debut on November 24th, has already lined up Les Savy Fav, Kid Sister and Flosstradamus Men, Final Fantasy, Yacht, and Sharon Jones &the Dap-Kings. (Variety)

William Hurt (Damages) and Ethan Hawke (XXXX) have joined the cast for an international co-production adaptation of Herman Melville's 1851 novel "Moby Dick." Hurt will play megalomaniac captain Ahab while Hawke will play the ship's first officer, Starbuck. Budget for the Tele Munchen production, a joint venture between Germany's RTL, Austria's ORF, and RHI Entertainment, is said to be in the range of $25 million. Script was written by Nigel Williams and will be directed by Mike Barker. (Hollywood Reporter)

Brian Austen Green (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and Graham Greene (Twilight Saga: New Moon) will topline Hallmark Channel period telepic The Wild Girl, about a would-be photojournalist in the 1930s (Green) who joins up with some Americans en route to Mexico to rescue a kidnapped boy. Project, written by Ronald Parker (Broken Trail), will be directed by Don McBrearty. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: NBC Detects US "Prime Suspect," Kristin Kreuk Flies to "Chuck," Katherine Heigl Takes Break from "Grey's," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

NBC is developing a US version of British crime drama series Prime Suspect, which starred Helen Mirren as the dogged and damaged Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison. The US version, which will be developed and written by Without a Trace's Hank Steinberg, will be shot as a two-hour presentation and is the first effort of a multi-year deal between NBC and ITV Studios, the production arm of British terrestrial network ITV. "We want to carefully choose a couple of iconic titles this year to reinvent, and our intention is to create another classic television show from this brilliant original format," said NBC Primetime Entertainment president Angela Bromstad. "Hank Steinberg was key in helping us secure this project, and we are incredibly excited about this modern vision for the show." (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that former Smallville star Kristin Kreuk has been cast in a recurring role on NBC's Chuck, where she will appear in multiple episodes as Hannah, a new potential love interest for Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) whom he meets on a plane to Paris and who ends up working at the Buy More after she's laid off from her job in publishing. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

SPOILER ALERT! Katherine Heigl is taking a five-episode leave of absence from ABC drama series Grey's Anatomy in order to shoot a new feature film role opposite Josh Duhamel in Life as We Know It. E! Online's Watch with Kristin, meanwhile, was able to learn just how producers would write Izzie Stevens out of the show to explain Heigl's absence. According to information gleaned from unnamed insiders, Jennifer Godwin is reporting that the major plotline this season on Grey's is the merger between Seattle Grace and rival hospital Mercy West. "Yep, Seattle Grace is about to double in size, bringing in a slate of new doctors and paving the way for major shake-ups in the season to come," writes Godwin. "What does this mega medical merger mean for our favorites? Well, Dr. Izzie Stevens is getting fired." The introduction of several new characters--played by Robert Baker, Jesse Williams, and Nora Zehetner, will allow Heigl to take a break from the series and will also act as a smokescreen for Ellen Pompeo's maternity leave. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin, Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FOX has ordered thirteen episodes of procedural cop dramedy Jack & Dan from writer/executive producer Matt Nix (Burn Notice) and Fox Television Studios using the the low-cost production model the studio has established with Mental and Persons Unknown. However, this time round the studio has teamed with a US broadcaster first before taking the project internationally. Project, written by Nix and executive produced by Nix and Mikkel Bondesen, is about a procedure-minded cop who is teamed with "a drunken, lecherous, wild-card cop who hangs onto his job only because of a heroic act years before." Burn Notice fans, however, shouldn't be worried about Nix leaving the USA series: Burn will continue to be his priority and production on the series will be staggered in order to accommodate his schedule. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere at FOX, the network is also developing an untitled ensemble medical drama in Kuwait with Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah (Freaks and Geeks, 90210) and 20th Century Fox Television, a drama entitled Daylight Robbery about a group of women on a crime spree from writer/executive producer Karen Usher (Prison Break) and 20th Century Fox Television, and an untitled actioner from writer/executive producer Michael Duggan (Millennium) and Sony Pictures Television about a government agent and his older handler. (The Wrap's TV MoJoe)

HBO has given a pilot order to single-camera comedy Enlightened, starring Laura Dern as a "self-destructive woman who has a spiritual awakening and becomes determined to live an enlightened life, creating havoc at home and work." The pilot, written by Mike White, will shoot in December. (Hollywood Reporter)

Mehcad Brooks (True Blood) has been cast as a series regular on ABC's midseason legal dramedy series The Deep End, where he will play Malcolm Bennet, an associate at the high-powered Los Angeles legal firm which the series revolves around. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a fantastic interview with Diablo Cody and Jill Soloway about Season Two of Showtime comedy The United States of Tara, set to return early next year. Soloway has assumed the mantle of showrunner following the departure of Alexa Junge as head writer. "The show was getting a little bit too dark in terms of delving into her past and what happened” to Tara to cause her dissociative identity disorder, said Showtime president Robert Greenblatt. "While we ultimately want to unpeel the onion and reveal what she went through, we had to rethink how we were doing that. It’s a comedy at the end of the day. It’s not a one-hour, serious drama about this affliction." So what can fans expect? For one, Cody said that they intend to "open up the series and take it out of the house a little bit and show all these different facets of Tara’s life and her alters’ lives." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

CBS has ordered a script for an untitled multi-camera comedy project co-created by and starring Bret Harrison (Reaper) about two district attorneys, one of whom is in his twenties (to be played by Harrison) and the other in his forties, and the woman who comes between them. Project, which will be written by Robert Borden, will be produced by Universal Media Studios, Stuber Prods., and executive producer Scott Stuber. (Hollywood Reporter)

MTV has ordered eight episodes of Teen Mom, a spinoff of the cabler's 16 and Pregnant that will catch up with four of the teenagers featured on 16 and Pregnant and see how they are coping with their first year of motherhood. No premiere date has been set. (Variety)

Rick Fox (Dirt) has been cast in a recurring role on the CW's Melrose Place, where he will play the owner of the restaurant where many of the aspiring actor characters work. (Hollywood Reporter)

Hallmark has promoted Susanne Smith to SVP of marketing for both the Hallmark Channel and the Hallmark Movie Channel. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Lena Headey Crowned for "Thrones," HBO Goes to the Mattresses for "Boardwalk Empire," Pam Gets New Mom on "Office," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan is reporting that former Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles star Lena Headey has signed on to star in HBO's fantasy drama pilot Game of Thrones, based on the novel series by George R.R. Martin. Headey, who toplined the now-canceled Terminator, would play Cersei Lannister, described by Ryan as "a woman of royal blood who is every bit as smart, cunning and devious as the powerful men around her." She joins a cast for the pilot (directed by The Visitor's Tom McCarthy) that includes Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Sean Bean, Peter Dinklage, Mark Addy, Jennifer Ehle, and a slew of others. Headey's character is the sister of Jamie Lannister (Coster-Waldau) and the wife of King Robert (Addy). (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Elsewhere at HBO, the pay cabler has given a series order to period drama Boardwalk Empire from executive producers Martin Scorsese and Terence Winter (who also created the series). Twelve episodes (including the pilot) have been ordered and are expected to air late next year, with production starting this fall in New York. Set in the 1920s, the series follows the life of politico/gangster Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) during the growth of Atlantic City. Buscemi will be joined by Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Michael Pitt, Shea Whigham, Dabney Coleman, and Stephen Graham. (Variety)

Linda Purl (Bones) has been cast as the mother of Pam Beesley (Jenna Fischer) on NBC's The Office, where she will appear next month at Pam and Jim's wedding. Purl replaces Shannon Cochran, who guest starred as Pam's mom in a Season Two episode of The Office. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

AMC has ordered a fourth season of period drama Mad Men. (Televisionary)

ABC has signed two separate talent holding deals with Martin Henderson (Inside the Box) and Leah Remini (The King of Queens). Under the deals, Henderson will star in a drama pilot for the network, with Henderson meeting with writers shortly to discuss potential properties. Remini, who appeared in ABC's comedy pilot Married Not Dead this past development cycle, will appear in a comedy pilot. (Hollywood Reporter)

Debi Mazar (Entourage) has been cast in a recurring role on ABC's Castle, where she will play Paula Haas, Castle's book agent. Her first appearance is set for October. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

20th Century Fox Television has signed two separate overall deals with Family Guy writers Mark Hentemann and Steve Callaghan. Under the terms of the deals, Hentemann and Callaghan will become executive producers and showrunners on Family Guy (following the decision made by David Goodman and Chris Sheridan to step down as showrunners on the FOX series) and will also develop new projects for the studio. (Variety)

Saturday Night Live will add at least two new female cast members to its roster, hiring The Groundlings' Nasim Pedrad and UCB's Jenny Slate for next season, which kicks off September 26th on NBC. (The Wrap's TV MoJoe)

A. Smith and Co. have acquired the US rights to Japanese game show Pressure Study, in which seven contestants are forced to work together in order to complete seven rounds of questions that will test every facet of their combined knowledge. Series, which will be retitled Under Pressure, is currently being pitched to networks. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Zooey Deschanel Could Guest Star on "Bones," FOX Slates First "Glee" Soundtrack, NBC to Get "More Colorful," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

It seems like the stars are finally aligning. Producers on FOX's Bones are in talks with Zooey Deschanel to guest star on the procedural crime drama in December as the cousin of real-life sister Emily Deschanel's Brennan, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. "We’ve been looking for an opportunity to get the Deschanel girls together," said Bones creator/executive producer Hart Hanson, "but Zooey’s rockin’ career kept getting in the way... We alluded to [her] having a cousin in Minnesota two seasons ago. I’d very much like to meet her in the Christmas episode." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

As previously reported on this site, 20th Century Fox Television is teaming up with Columbia Records on a series of soundtracks for FOX's upcoming series Glee. The first release, "Glee: The Music, Volume 1," will contain seventeen tracks from the series' first season (including Queen's "Somebody to Love," Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" and Kanye West's "Gold Digger") and will debut on November 3rd. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has unveiled its new marketing slogan, "more colorful," which is reportedly intended to "reference both NBC's Peacock heritage and the net's famous '60s-era bumpers, which promised 'the following program is brought to you in living color on NBC,'" according to Variety's Michael Schneider. The new tagline will launch on September 14th, the same day that the Peacock will premiere Jay Leno's new 10 pm weeknightly series. (Variety)

So Twitter. FOX will use Twitter later this week during repeat broadcasts of both Glee and Fringe, during which cast members and producers will use the social networking platform to tweet live updates during the telecasts that will be displayed on-air in a scroll at the bottom of the screen. Fringe's Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Jeff Pinkner, and J.H. Wyman will participate, while Glee's Lea Michele, Kevin McHale, Mark Salling, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, and Chris Colfer are all set to join them when FOX repeats the pilot of Glee on Friday evening. (Variety)

Casting alert! Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager) has been cast in NBC's medical drama Mercy, where she will play Jeannie Flanagan, the mother of Taylor Schilling's Veronica. Elsewhere, Jesse Williams (Greek) will appear in a multiple-episode story arc on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, though producers are keeping details about his character firmly under wraps. Matthew Levy will star opposite Tyler Labine in FOX's midseason comedy Sons of Tucson as the eldest of the three brothers, Joshua Leonard (Humpday) will recur on Season Two of Showtime's United States of Tara as "boho-trustifarian" Ricky, and Mido Hamada (Path to 9/11) will recur on FOX's 24 as "Mehran, the leader of a group of operatives in an Islamic country working against their president." (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Garret Dillahunt (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) will guest star in USA's Burn Notice, where he will play Simon, described by Ausiello as "a scary-smart new client of Michael’s (Jeffrey Donovan) — and perhaps the first person to outsmart him." Dillahunt's episode, which also features John Mahoney, is slated to air this winter. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Brenda Blethyn (Atonement) will star in Hidden Depths, a new murder mystery series on UK's ITV based on the novel by Ann Cleeves. Blethyn will play Vera Stanhope, a detective inspector in Northumberland who is on the trail of a murderer who left the bodies of two young people in the water. Project will be adapted by Paul Rutman and executive produced by kate Bartlett. (Guardian)

It's the end of the rainbow. PBS has announced that long-running children's series Reading Rainbow aired its final episode on Friday, after a run that began in 1983. (Hollywood Reporter)

Supernatural creator Eric Kripke told Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello that he is sticking to his five-year plan for the drama series and intends to wrap up the storyline at the end of next season. But there's a rather big catch. "I did set out [to] tell a five-season storyline," said Kripke. "Quite frankly, I never expected [the show] to make it to five years. But now that we’re in our fifth year, I have every intention of ending the story with a bang and not drawing it out or watering it down.... That having been said, I’m looking at this season as the last chapter in this particular story. That doesn’t mean there can’t be a new story. Buffy did it. The X-Files did it. You close a chapter on a big mythology storyline and then you begin a new one." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC has given a script order to an untitled multi-camera comedy project from writer/executive producers Matt Williams (Roseanne), Carmen Finestra, and David McFadzean and ABC Studios about a sports psychologist who runs his practice out of his house and tries to juggle his career with his role as a father of three and a husband. (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC Three has announced three new commissions including drama Lip Service, about the "sex lives and love affairs of twenty-something lesbians living in contemporary Glasgow" from Harriet Braun (Mistresses), comedy Mouth to Mouth, about the "complicated and sometimes funny issues of personal identity, following the year-in-the-life story of six young people," and news-based entertainment series Russell Howard's Good News, in which Howard draws conclusions from the top news stories as well as smaller stories which may not have gotten any ink (digital or otherwise). (BBC)

TLC has ordered twelve episodes of docusoap King of the Crown, which will follow Cy Frakes, professional beauty queen coach as he trains his clients "how to perfect their walk, style hair, and smile on cue." The cabler will debut the series, from Five Five Prods. and Discovery Studios, on Wednesday, September 30th. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Laura Linney to Star in Showtime Pilot About the Other "C Word"

Showtime has announced that Laura Linney (John Adams) has been cast as the female lead in a dark comedy entitled The C Word (a working title) about a woman struggling to live in the shadow of her cancer diagnosis.

Linney will star in the pilot of the Sony Pictures Television-produced project, from writer/executive producer Darlene Hunt (90210), which is slated to be shot this fall.

"Laura Linney is in that rare echelon of truly gifted actresses who fully embody the characters they play and we are honored to welcome her to Showtime," said Showtime president of entertainment Robert Greenblatt. "Cancer is not usually the subject of half-hour comedy, but Laura saw what we did in this complex show -- a woman who gets a wake-up call that causes her to shake up her life and family. She will no doubt make this character both heartbreaking and disarmingly funny, and we’re thrilled that she has chosen this show for her foray into series television.”

The full press release from Showtime can be found below.

LAURA LINNEY LIKES THE C WORD

Showtime Pushes Envelope With Series About Cancer

LOS ANGELES, CA – (August 27, 2009) – Laura Linney – three-time Academy Award® nominee, three-time Emmy® winner, and SAG® and Golden Globe® Award winner – is coming to series television in a provocative new SHOWTIME half-hour series about a woman diagnosed with cancer called THE C WORD (working title), it was announced today by SHOWTIME Networks President of Entertainment Robert Greenblatt. A pilot has been ordered and will be shot in the fall.

Linney will star in and executive produce THE C WORD, which delves into the emotional ups and downs of a suburban wife and mother forced to face reality yet also find the light side in a dark situation. A metaphor for the way we all should live, yet rarely do, this is a journey about how to seize the day. The series is created and written by Darlene Hunt, who will serve as executive producer, along with Neal H. Moritz and Vivian Cannon. It will be produced by Original Film in association with Sony Pictures Television.

"Laura Linney is in that rare echelon of truly gifted actresses who fully embody the characters they play and we are honored to welcome her to SHOWTIME," says Greenblatt. "Cancer is not usually the subject of half-hour comedy, but Laura saw what we did in this complex show -- a woman who gets a wake-up call that causes her to shake up her life and family. She will no doubt make this character both heartbreaking and disarmingly funny, and we’re thrilled that she has chosen this show for her foray into series television.”

"How one lives fully while being tested by the unpredictability of life, and what one learns in the process, is always filled with endless possibilities for an actor,” says Linney. “I am very excited to tackle such potentially rich, funny and complicated material."

Linney is one of Hollywood’s most versatile and celebrated talents, having begun her career in the theatre where she has appeared in the award-winning plays Six Degrees of Separation, The Crucible, Sight Unseen and Hedda Gabler. This January, Linney is set to star in a limited engagement of Time Stands Still, directed by Donald Margulies, at Manhattan Theatre Club. On the small screen, she was first noted for her turn in the PBS series “Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City” which continued for two more installments on SHOWTIME, "More Tales of the City" and "Further Tales of the City." She earned Emmys for her work on “Frasier” and in SHOWTIME's “Wild Iris.” She starred most recently in the Emmy®-winning HBO mini-series “John Adams” – her performance as Abigail Adams earned her Emmy®, Golden Globe® and SAG® Award wins. She earned Oscar® nominations for her critically acclaimed work in KINSEY, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME and THE SAVAGES. Additional film credits include THE TRUMAN SHOW, LOVE ACTUALLY, MYSTIC RIVER and THE SQUID AND THE WHALE. Currently, Linney is filming THE DETAILS, which was written and directed by Jacob Estes and also stars Tobey McGuire. Linney is represented by ICM, Brillistein Entertainment Partners and Barnes, Morris, Klein, Mark & Yorn.

Moritz has been producing film and television for nearly 20 years. His big screen credits include SWEET HOME ALABAMA, THE FAST & THE FURIOUS franchise, and I AM LEGEND. Upcoming films include the remake of the ‘80s television series 21 JUMP STREET, BATTLE: LOS ANGELES, starring Aaron Eckhart, and the popular comic book THE GREEN HORNET, starring Seth Rogen. Moritz has produced television titles as wide ranging as “Prison Break” and “Tru Calling,” and he was nominated for an Emmy® award as executive producer of the HBO bio-pic “The Rat Pack.” He is represented by CAA.

Series executive producer and creator Hunt has worked as a consulting producer on the hit CW show "90210," and has written for series such as "Will & Grace" and "Good Morning Miami." She has also developed numerous pilots for network and cable. As an actor, she's a member of the famed comedy troupe The Groundlings and starred on television in the 2006 Ted Danson series "Help Me Help You." She is represented by UTA. Executive producer Vivian Cannon’s credits include “Emily’s Reasons Why Not,” “Tell Me You Love Me,” the 2005 film LITTLE MANHATTAN, starring Bradley Whitford and Cynthia Nixon, and the 2004 film SEEING OTHER PEOPLE, starring Jay Mohr, Julianne Nicholson and Brian Cranston.

Channel Surfing: "Sex and Murder" in the "Dollhouse," Same-Sex Snog for "Gossip Girl," Quinn Finds "Beautiful Life," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday television briefing.

E! Online's Jennifer Godwin has a look at what lies ahead for FOX's Dollhouse as she catches up with the Joss Whedon-created series' stars to get some dirt on what's going on inside the Dollhouse next season. "They have a connection," said Tahmoh Penikett of Echo and Paul Ballard next season. "It's not a physical attraction, but I hope it's something that we explore a lot more this season. You're not quite sure what it is. There's a past, there's a history, there's an understanding between them that's very different. I think the audience is really going to like it and be really curious about where we're going in the first few episodes." As for that other would-be couple, Sierra and Victor, Enver Gjokah said, "Sierra and Victor are definitely still involved. They're going to explore that relationship more. They explore the Sierra-and-Victor love as dolls, but then also they're going to go into the backstory of both of them." Lots more detail in the piece, which also hints at just what Season Two is about ("sex and murder"). (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Ed Westwick's Chuck Bass will lock lips this season on Gossip Girl with another man, namely Neal Bledsoe's Josh Ellis, NYU's head of freshman affairs. So what spurs the kissing exactly? "Since Josh is tasked with selecting an incoming student for the honor of delivering the freshman speech, he’s, shall we say, a person of interest to Blair," writes Ausiello. "In fact, she’s so determined to snag the slot that she goes so far as to pimp out her boyfriend to the gay guy in charge." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Ed Quinn (True Blood, Eureka) has been cast in the CW's upcoming fall drama series The Beautiful Life, where he will play the husband of Elle Macpherson's Claudia Foster, a former supermodel who now runs an elite modeling agency. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Beau Bridges (Stargate SG-1) will guest star in an episode of TNT's The Closer next season, where he will play George Andrews, the former partner of G.W. Bailey's Provenza, who "returns to help close a case that has been turned over on appeal." (TVGuide.com)

Paula Abdul will host VH1's VH1 Divas, which returns to the network on September 17th and features performances from Leona Lewis, Adele, Jordin Sparks, Miley Cyrus, and Kelly Clarkson. (Variety)

Zap2It's KorbiTV has a first look at ABC's new promo for Season Six of drama series Grey's Anatomy. (Zap2It)

ABC has given a pilot script order with a penalty to an untitled multi-camera comedy from writer/executive producer Garland Testa (King of the Hill). Project, from 20th Century Fox Television, revolves around a young couple with children who try to balance the adult responsibilities of parenthood with their own youth. (Hollywood Reporter)

Kids cabler Nickelodeon has ordered two live-action comedy series, Victorious and an untitled Scott Fellows project, that will be co-produced with Sony Music and will feature original songs. Twenty episodes apiece were ordered for both series, with the untitled Scott Fellows project, about a boy band that wins a reality television competition, set to launch this fall and Victorious, about a girl who enrolls at a performing arts high school, on tap for January 2010. (Variety)

A&E is moving forward with Jackson family docuseries Jackson Family Dynasty, which will follow Michael Jackson's brothers dealing with their grief over his death and their own issues. A&E plans to launch the series, from executive producer Jodi Gomes, later this year. (Hollywood Reporter)

Sky1 has acquired UK rights to ABC comedy Modern Family, which will launch on the pay satcaster in October. (Broadcast)

Rumors are swirling that Hulu might be close to a deal with ITV in the United Kingdom, under which the terrestrial channel would retain a sizable stake, said to be around 25 percent, in the UK version of the online streaming media player. (Variety)

Broadcasting & Cable's Claire Atkinson is reporting that top executives Maria Grasso and Nina Wass have now left OWN in order to pursue other opportunities; the network, owned by Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications, has yet to launch. Move comes after the network hired former NBC executive Jamila Hunter as head of programming. (Broadcasting & Cable)

Former ABC executive Jocelyn Diaz has been hired by HBO as the head of drama development and production at HBO Entertainment. Elsewhere at the pay cabler, Casey Bloys has been promoted to SVP of comedy, where he will oversee development and production on HBO's comedy series, including Hung and Bored to Death. (Variety)

The Real Housewives are coming to daytime. NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution has signed a deal with NBC's owned TV stations for a one-hour daily syndicated strip of The Real Housewives that will launch in Fall 2010. Terms were based on an all-barter basis for the more than 100 episodes of the series. (Broadcasting & Cable)

FremantleMedia Enterprises has acquired international rights to Australian teen drama Slide, which will launch with an online prequel before debuting a linear series on pay television channel Foxtel in April. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Ascends to "Thrones," FOX Breaks in with Olmstead and Santora, Edie Falco Talks "Nurse Jackie," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Virtuality star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been cast in the pilot for fantasy drama Game of Thrones, HBO's adaptation of George R.R. Martin's novel series. Coster-Waldau will play Jaime Lannister, described by The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd as "one of the king's guards and a ruthless usurper of the previous king." Also cast in the Tom McCarthy-directed pilot: Tamzin Merchant (The Tudors), Richard Madden (Hope Springs), Iain Glen (Into the Storm), Alfie Allen (The Other Boleyn Girl), Sophie Turner (Doctor Who), and Maisie Williams, all of whom join the previously announced Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Jennifer Ehle, Kit Harrington, Harry Lloyd, Peter Dinklage, and Jack Gleeson. Production begins this October in Ireland. (Hollywood Reporter)

FOX has handed out a pilot script order with penalty to drama Break Out Kings, from 20th Century Fox Television and Prison Break writer/producers Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora, about a group of former convicts who become members of the US Marshall service in Manhattan and track down fugitives. Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) is attached to direct and executive produce, alongside Olmstead and Santora. (Variety)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a fantastic interview with Nurse Jackie star Edie Falco, the series' creators Linda Wallem and Liz Brixius, and Showtime president Robert Greenblatt about the dark comedy, which wraps its first season run on Monday. "Don’t pin it down," said Falco of her belief that she doesn't want the audience to have any specific conclusions about Jackie's complex life. "Leave questions. Treat the audience like they’re smart. Let five people who are viewing it have five different ideas about what just happened in that scene."(The Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson will star in HBO's adaptation of Cormac McCarthy play The Sunset Limited, about a man who saves another from throwing himself in front of a subway train. Jones will direct the two-hour telepic, which will be produced by Barbara Hall. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Kirsten Johnston (3rd Rock from the Sun) has been cast in a recurring role on ABC's Ugly Betty, where she will play Helen, a new office temp at Mode magazine who befriends Becki Newton's Amanda. If the character description sounds familiar, it's because the role was originally meant to be played by former American Idol judge Paula Abdul before talks between Abdul and the series' producers collapsed. "I’ve always considered myself a poor man’s Paula Abdul," Johnston joked to Ausiello and then described her character as "Amanda in 10 years. She’s still trying to get into the right clubs, wearing tight dresses... tragic. I think [Helen] sees herself as Samantha from Sex and the City. Except, of course, she’s a temp." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FOX has given a premium script commitment to an untitled multi-camera family comedy pilot from My Name is Earl executive producer Bobby Bowman about a strange kid who attempts to be normal, even while living among a highly eccentric family. Project, which will be written by Bowman, hails from Peter Chernin's new company and 20th Century Fox Television. (Hollywood Reporter)

Broadcast is reporting that the BBC has announced that it will not order a second season of period fantasy comedy Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire after its funding partner--that would be Comedy Central here in the US--pulled out of the international co-production. (Broadcast)

Anyone else troubled by executive producer Todd Slavkin's recent comments in an E! Online interview about the CW's new Melrose Place, where he describes the "sexual revolution" going on in the series as "post-AIDS"? Said Slavkin: "We feel that there is a current sexual revolution going on. Kind of post-AIDS—where the boundaries are off. Their parents have been shackled, and they want to explore." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Canadian sketch comedy troupe Kids in the Hall have reunited for Death Comes to Town, an eight-episode "comic murder mystery" for the CBC. According to Variety's Brendan Kelly, the series will revolves around a "small town when all its most distinguished citizens are murdered. A suspect is arrested, there's a trial and many dark secrets are revealed along the way." Production is currently underway for a January launch on CBC. (Variety)

BBC Two has given a series order to culinary comedy Whites, starring Alan Davies (Jonathan Creek) as a highly successful executive chef who lacks the motivation to turn his restaurants into an empire, Pam Ferris (The Darling Buds of May), Darren Boyd (Saxondale), and Isy Suttie (Peep Show). Project was created by Matt King (Peep Show's Superhans) and Oliver Lansley (FM) and six half-hour episodes will be shot. (Broadcast)

FearNet has acquired five unaired episodes of short-lived NBC horror anthology series Fear Itself, which it will begin running on FearNet.com beginning September 2nd and on FearNet OnDemand beginning September 7th. (Hollywood Reporter)

Cartoon Network has ordered a second season of reality series Destroy Build Destroy, which Andrew W.K. attached to return as host of the live-action series. (Variety)

Tijuana Entertainment has hired former Reveille executive Ronak Kordestani as director of development and Todd Berger as a creative consultant. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Deadwood" Vet Gets "Lost," Syfy Expands "Warehouse," Shelley Long Gets "Modern Family," "Party Down," and More

Welcome to your (very early) Thursday morning television briefing.

John Hawkes (Deadwood) has been cast in Season Six of ABC's Lost, where he will play Lennon, described by The Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva as "the scruffy, edgy and charismatic spokesperson and translator for the president of a foreign corporation who is far more powerful than it seems from his position." Just what that means remains to be seen... (Hollywood Reporter)

Syfy has ordered a second season of sci-fi dramedy Warehouse 13, with thirteen episodes currently on order for next year. However, Syfy was quick to point out that that number could increase in later seasons. "We took a look at doing 20 episodes, but for logistic and financial reasons," Syfy's Dave Howe told Variety, "it didn't make sense to do that right now, but I wouldn't rule it out." (Variety)

Holy comedy casting news! The Wrap's Joe Adalian is reporting that comedy legend Shelley Long has been cast in ABC's Modern Family, where she will play the ex-wife of aged newlywed Jay (Ed O'Neill). Modern Family, created by Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, is already one of the most buzzed about new fall series. Long's casting comes on the heels of the recent announcement that Elizabeth Banks will guest star on the 20th Century Fox Television-produced comedy. (The Wrap)

Starz has quietly announced via Twitter that Season Two of comedy Party Down will launch in April. (Twitter)

Cabler FX has handed out series orders to two half-hour comedies: The League and Louie. The League, about a group of suburban male friends who participate in the same fantasy football league, received a six-episode order. Louie, about a single dad who attempts to raise his two daughters in New York, is a vignette-style comedy series starring Louis CK and was picked up for thirteen episodes. Both projects hail from FX Prods. and pilots for the two series were shot quietly under the radar. It's believed that The League may be paired this fall with the new season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and share its timeslot with the already ordered comedy Archer. Louie is expected to be held under 2010. (Variety)

The Los Angeles Times' Denise Martin is reporting that, despite reports to the contrary, Paula Abdul is definitely not in talks with FOX or American Idol producers about returning to the series. Abdul's manager David Sonenberg told LA Times' Show Tracker exclusively that there have been "no discussions whatsoever about Idol" and that Abdul's plans for the future do not involve the FOX musical competition series and the former host is fielding multiple offers. "She loves Idol," Sonneberg told Martin about his client. "She feels she was a large part of the reason it is what it is. I can tell you her focus right now is speaking to all the other networks. The only one we haven’t talked to, because of recent events, is FOX. But perhaps we would be speaking to FOX about shows in the near future." (Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker)

Nick Zano (The Final Destination) has been cast in a recurring role on ABC's upcoming comedy series Cougar Town, where he will play Courteney Cox's first boyfriend. Elsewhere, Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious) has been cast in CW's modeling drama The Beautiful Life. (Hollywood Reporter)

Jenna Dewan (Step Up) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on the CW's Melrose Place next season. According to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, she'll play "a young movie studio exec who takes a liking to wannabe Tarantino, Jonah (Michael Rady)" and is slated to appear in at least two episodes. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Lifetime has ordered a second season of dramedy series Drop Dead Diva, with thirteen episodes on tap for 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

In other Diva-related news, Devon Gummersall (My So-Called Life) will guest star on the October 11th season finale of Drop Dead Diva, where he will play "a man from Jane's past whose unexpected arrival throws Jane for a loop." (USA Today's Pop Candy)

Michael Mosley (The Proposal) and Kerry Bishe (Virtuality) have been cast as series regulars on ABC's Scrubs next season opposite Dave Franco. Mosley will play Drew, an older medical student who is attempting to complete his training after a meltdown ten years earlier at Harvard Medical School. Bishe will play first-year med student Lucy who hails from a family of fishermen. (Hollywood Reporter)

20th Century Fox Television has signed an exclusive deal with (500) Days of Summer director Mark Webb to direct a pilot in the upcoming development season. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.